Leaving Las Vegas, Sidcup's gold-clad 'Palace of Bling'

A Las Vegas-style apartment and office block in gold-coloured cladding is going up in the unlikely setting of suburban Sidcup.

The £20 million development —condemned as a “Palace of Bling” — has triggered protest among some residents.

Called The Fold, it is next to the railway station and will include 98 flats, office space and a restaurant. Developers say it will bring much needed regeneration to a previously derelict site.

Bexley councillor June Slaughter, who represents Sidcup ward, said “I’ve opposed the scheme from the start. It’s utterly hideous, monstrous, a blot on the landscape.”

Resident Karen Pyne, 47, said: “It’s like Sidcup is suffering from delusions of grandeur. It’s an eyesore. It’s like something out of Las Vegas.”

But Antony Crovella, sales and marketing director of developer United House, said: “We have had a brilliant reaction from the local community, with more than 560 local people registering their interest to buy. They love the external design.”